A Trip to St Mungo's
by Snorcackle
Summary: Neville goes to visit his parents, and takes a friend with him for support. He's completely surprised by just how good of an impression she makes.


**AN:** Today is one of my shippy days. When I get shippy, I also start writing in some _really_ cheesy/sappy moments. Sorry for those in advance. I don't own these characters or anything else from the world of witchcraft and wizardry that JKR created.

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Neville swallowed the lump in his throat as he stood in the hallway of St. Mungo's. He'd been making these visits for twenty years now, he'd even been going without Gran for the past four years, but that didn't make this any less nerve-wracking. This time, at least, he wasn't entirely alone.

He looked down as Luna squeezed his hand. "It'll be okay," she whispered into his ear. She'd never met his parents before, of course. He'd never thought to ask anyone else besides family to join him before. But, somehow, he believed every word she said, because he _had_ to. This time, he wouldn't leave the room feeling like an empty shell. Maybe, if he was really extraordinarily lucky, they'd made improvement this time.

Finally, he gathered up his strength and opened the doors in front of him.

The harsh lighting inside only added to the discomfort of the situation, unfortunately. His parents sat upright in their beds, each going about their daily business of sorts. Neville's father attempted to dissect some semi-spherical blue gelatin sitting on the tray in front of him, as Neville's mother had a copy of the Daily Prophet turned sideways, pages falling out as she attempted to decipher the code in front of her. They seemed happy enough for the moment; at least, they were as happy as they could be for two wizards driven completely and totally out of their minds.

Now, for the _really_ uncomfortable bit.

Neville had always struggled with finding the right words to say to them, since they never spoke back. Every time he visited, he wanted to find something new to say, hoping they'd remember at least a little bit. Inevitably, though, he resorted to a good old stand-by:

"Hi, Mum, Dad."

Another lump grew in his throat as he looked at them. They reacted to the noise, but they didn't seem to register what he said. Somewhere in his heart, he was sure they knew who he was; they just _had_ to know. Right now, though, he could easily be convinced otherwise.

"Are you going to introduce me?" Luna beamed up at him, her light blue eyes simply radiating at the excitement of meeting the people in front of her.

"Er, sure." Neville quickly swallowed the new lump again as he turned to his parents. "Mum, Dad, this is my... Erm, this is my friend, Luna." As Luna looked up to him insistently, he added, "Oh, and, Luna, this is my mum, Alice-" he pointed to his mother, who had looked up temporarily from the Daily Prophet "-and this is my dad, Frank." He gestured to his father, who had successfully managed to obliterate the gelatin.

Luna quickly offered her hand to Alice, who in turn wrapped both her hands around Luna's fingers and examined her beaded ring. When she finally let go, Luna turned to Frank, who reluctantly grabbed her thumb. "Very pleased to meet you both." She smiled at them. As she temporarily narrowed her focus to Alice, she said, "You know, your son has a collection of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum wrappers displayed on his wall. Did you give them to him?"

Alice slowly began to smile at the youthful blonde girl in front of her. Neville stood back, absolutely astounded. Luna simply continued talking to the woman. "I'm very grateful for you and your husband's work in the war, you know. The Death Eaters were never exactly fond of my family." At the mention of Death Eaters, Alice and Frank both scowled. "Well, you see, my father runs the Quibbler…"

And so Luna continued for quite some time, explaining her theories about Wrackspurts and Snorcacks and the benefits of dirigible plums. She even took the time to show her earrings to Alice, who nearly yanked them out of her ear. In fact, Luna talked for the better part of an hour, wrapping up everyone nearby with her detailed stories of trips to Sweden to search for the elusive Crumple-Horned Snorcack, or her latest journey to Tibet to source the nargles that had been destroying the rare Tibetan turnip. Alice and Frank –and, for that matter, Neville- became entirely engrossed in every word that came out of her mouth, sharing in her successes and hurting when she encountered trouble. Luna was able to tell all of these stories in her typical dream-like voice, with complete and total sincerity.

Indeed, that moment, seeing her make his parents so incredibly happy, was the moment that Neville forever credited as the moment that he fell head-over-heels in love with her.

As they prepared to leave the ward, Luna finished her speech. "You know, a few years back now, your son fought very bravely in the Second Wizarding War. I think you should both be very proud." The two beamed up at her. After Alice had given Neville his usual bubble gum wrapper, she turned back to Luna and gave her the remnants of a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Luna curtsied as she said, "Thank you," before exiting with Neville.

Neville grabbed Luna's hand as they walked out of the hospital. "D'you think we could… erm…" Words were getting stuck in his throat. "The Leaky Cauldron?" He couldn't even form coherent sentences, but Luna knew exactly what he meant anyways.

"Sure."

When they sat down inside the pub, Neville thanked her profusely for joining him. "I haven't seen them like that in ages." Or ever, he added silently. "It was like you just performed some sort of miracle back at St. Mungo's. I think they really like you."

"Your parents seem like very interesting people." She smiled her same dreamy smile as always as she looked up at him. "The next time you see them, I should very much like to join you. You will let me know, won't you?" Her eyes shimmered, as they always did, but this time they particularly stunned Neville. Goodness. He'd have to see her before then.

"Of course." He swallowed yet _another_ lump in his throat. "I could even let you know tomorrow, Florean Fortescue's, at around, say, half past noon?"

Luna's smile spread across her face. "Yes. I think I would like that very much." She hesitated for a moment before leaning across the table and kissing him on the cheek, making him quickly turn the color of beets. When he finally escorted her to the enormous fireplace, and she waved good-bye enthusiastically before the flames sent her home, he smiled, for he knew something that she would not know for several months.

_He_ already knew exactly how he was going to propose.


End file.
